Fun Fact: The oldest Marriott Hotel building in the world is in the village of Morley just outside Derby about 2 hours north of London.
The history:
It is Breadsall Priory hotel and country club. The original building was constructed around 1266 and it was originally dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
It continued like this until 1536 when Henry VIII (he of the six wives) suppressed the priory and it was handed over to the Crown. So after about 280 years on the site the priory was closed.
The site went through various iterations and owners through the next 450 years. Owners included 2 men who were knighted and the family of Charles Darwin.
During the Darwins ownership a dog cemetery was established in the garden with burials from 1852 to the last in 1990.
The golf course opened in 1976 and then in 1996 the hotel became the Marriott Breadsall Priory Hotel and Country Club.
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/emapd-delta-hotels-breadsall-priory-country-club/overview/
My visit:
I happened upon it while driving in the area so I popped in to look. We ended up up having dinner there but not staying the night.
It was a lovely dinner at the Cast Iron Grill, I would recommend it to everyone.
Emma who was at the reception desk was very kind and helpful to me. She told me some details about the history of the building and showed me where I could find the wall hangings explaining more of the history.
Inside the hotel:
The hotel seems quite affordable, prices for stays over the next month range from $80 (£63) to $148 (£117) per day.
This is the lobby with elegant detailing and modern touches.
Lovely detail on that door. The shape references the religious history of the building.
There are some lovely stained glass windows all around the hotel.
Views from outside:
This is the main original building. On the far right you can see The Mews which is a room extension.
View from the front of the main building. All that you see here dates from before 1850.
A view from out in the garden near the dog cemetery.
This is a lovely garden area for strolling in. The pond with the water fountain is a lovely touch.
There are 4 sections for the bedrooms here. The main hotel has only 12 rooms and the Mews has about 55 rooms.
The farmhouse (which is on the right here in white) has 6 rooms, and the country club ( the cream colored sections on the left) has about 90 rooms.
Cute little bird bath.
Lovely outdoor area for relaxing.
The golf side:
The club features the Championship Priory course and the Moorland course.
Here are the club captain and lady captain parking spots. It is fun that no matter where in the world you are, these spots will always be set aside at a golf club.
The golf shop with various golf bag carts available.
There are 2 lovely golf courses on the property.
Other facilities:
There is a spa, a gym and a heated indoor swimming pool. The Cast-Iron Grill also serves an English afternoon tea for you to enjoy. It is such a lovely experience to have a proper English tea with scones and different treats and tea served in a pot with a cosy. I have had afternoon teas in various places like Bangkok, Savannah and London and I loved them all. It is always interesting and a lot of fun.
There are lovely woods and gardens to walk in. It looks like a great place to spend a day or 3.
Not much wind on the day I was there but there are 2 flagpoles, one flying the British flag.
Conclusion:
I would love to stay at this hotel just so I can explore some more. I had restricted access when I was there so there is so much more to see and do.
The oldest Marriott hotel in the world ! Who would have thought !
